on
October 2nd at Zazoos Bar and Grill with special guest performers Ohlm
(an instrumental acid metal band) and the Va Va Vixens burlesque troop.
This is his first DVD release, and it’s a major step as he follows a
family tradition of entertainment.

His
grandfather spent three years touring with Ringling, Bros and Barnum
& Bailey Circus as a clown. His father was the original drummer
for the Dazz Band and many other traveling rock, jazz and gospel groups,
while his uncle is a professional stage illusionist who has performed
on international waters and in 17 countries.

“I
doubt I will ever forget the moment I saw him borrow a cigarette from
my dad only to make it seemingly vanish at the tips of his fingers,”
says Darshwood. “ He then proceeded to make it appear behind my ear.
What ensued after that was a series of vanishes and reappearances of
the cigarette. I followed my uncle all over the house for the next few
minutes as the menthol entered into the abyss of our kitchen sink only
to be found under our couch cushion in the living room moments later.
Then into the VCR it went, somehow ending up behind a potted plant in
the bay window of our dining room. It wasn’t until years later I was
informed that this was merely a demonstration of sleight of hand
technique. I was hooked and completely enthralled with the desire to
perform my own mini-miracles just like Uncle Peter.”

In
the following years, Darshwood was given a magic kit and taken to see
David Copperfield at a live show. He made a vow to travel all over the
world like his uncle and Copperfield, so he began to explore everything
he could get his hands on. When he entered high school, he made some
pit stops along the way to explore other interests such as music and
girls and after high school, Darshwood traveled with Hare Krishnas who
gave him the name Darshanandaji - which is Sanskrit for “one who is
lovingly devoted to witnessing miracles.” It was attendance at his
uncle’s wedding that led Darshwood to renew his vows of love for magic
with the introduction of Cary Pollack, who is one of the country’s most
prominent “up close” sleight of hand magicians.

“[After
the wedding] when I came back home to Cincinnati and saw what the new
guy on TV, David Blaine, was doing, I was totally convinced that magic
was going to be my trade,” says the conjuror. “... and not the
furniture moving stuff that Uncle Peter and David Copperfield do on
stage. I wanted to be a knuckle busting sleight of hand artiste. When
it came time for me to choose a stage name the decision came quite
easily as I was already being called Darsh by a number of friends and
even my Mom. Adding the syllable “wood” just made it roll off the
tongue much easier than “anandaji”, so Darshwood I became.

Since
then, Darshwood has become a master of the art of prestidigation. He
continued his studies in magic and focused his energy on the
manipulation of small objects as well as the unique psychology of
misdirection before he began performing publicly again at Derby City
Expresso and Sub Rosa: The Gypsie Courtyard. Since then, he has made
appearances at many bars, art galleries and venues such as Churchill
Downs, Comedy Caravan, The Alley Theater, Slugger Field, Kosair
Children’s Hospital, Lynn’s Paradise Café, Glassworks and The Seelbach
Inn.

All of his studies and performances have culminated into a series of performances with the group

Keepers of Magic

and the show

Postmodern Magic

which will now be available on DVD.

Postodern Magic

is Darshwood’s way of keeping the traditions of magic alive in times to come.

“There
are a number of magicians in the world right now who are always trying
to create the next new trick but I’ve always wanted to stick with the
classics of our art. As a magician, I am part of an ancient trade that
predates human history. Many of magic’s scholars will argue that our
craft began with the medicine men and shamans of tribal society, but it
is believed that magic got it’s start even before man ever left the
caves in order to evolve. There was a magician in every court who was
responsible for consulting the king before every important decision was
made until just a few centuries ago. As the Renaissance came about,
science replaced magic, and even the conjurers that began practicing
alchemy were eventually eradicated by the Inquisition. In order for the
magician to survive, we had to take on the role of entertainer. I
recently made a mission of exposing my audiences to the huge impact
magic has had on history and pointing out that even today, mystery and
wonder will always prevail as a means to inspire and delight. That is
where Postmodern Magic came from.”

The
Magic and Mayhem Show begins at 9 p.m. on Friday, October 1st,2010.
There will be no charge for admission. ZaZoo’s is located at 102 Bauer
Avenue in Louisville, KY. Postmodern Magic DVDs will be available for
$10.00 and Darshwood will be available to sign every copy sold.

Photo by Kaley Roberts: Darshwood entertains me on 4th St Live!

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Jessica Lynn has been writing for Louisville.com since fall of 2010 and has also been published in LEO, Velocity, Voice-Tribune and others after serving as Editor in Chief of The JCC student newspaper, The Quadrangle. She has also served as columnist or contributing writer to an array of online publications.